Greenhouse Gas to Energy: Capturing Emissions, Producing Clean Fuels

America's first international exhibition and conference on energy from biomass and waste premieres in Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh, PA / Alpen, Germany, 06-Sept-07 - Farm and food waste can still be put to good use if converted to energy in a biogas plant. Different types of feedstock including cow manure and residuals from the processing of sweet corn, beets and sauerkraut can thus help to run an agricultural or food processing business more efficiently. By turning waste into heat and power, business owners can save on energy, waste disposal costs and protect natural resources. At the upcoming "energy from biomass and waste" (EBW) Expo & Conference on September 25-27, 2007 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, more than 50 sessions discuss the pros and cons of conversion technologies, new market trends and financing options. Over 70 exhibitors from around the world showcase the machinery and services needed for cleaner, greener energy supply.


How methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, can be utilized for the production of biogas is a recurrent topic at the EBW Conference. Methane is a component of livestock manure and of landfill gas, a natural by-product of the decomposition of solid waste. Brandon Moffat of Conestoga-Rovers & Associates is among the conference speakers. He presents the feasibility study of a renewable energy facility in Western New York, discussing permitting issues, odour control and optimal biogas utilization. Shawn Saylor of Hillcrest Saylor's Dairy Farms talks about a project already well underway. An anaerobic digester which turns manure into fuel recently started operation on his farm in Rockwood, PA. An international perspective of the growing biogas business is added by Gerrit Holz of Germany-based Biogas Nord GmbH. He provides an overview of a market that was a pioneer in anaerobic technology.

According to a count by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there are over 100 anaerobic digesters in operation in the United States, with 90 more projects under construction or in the planning/design phase. In addition to this, there are currently 430 operational landfill gas to energy sites, with approximately 50 projects under construction and at least 50 more in the planning stages. "But the potential is many times bigger", says Dr. Ines Freesen, Managing Director of EBW organizer Freesen & Partner GmbH. In Germany for example, 3,500 biogas plants produced 5 billion kilowatt hours of power in 2006. "If you compare the population of these countries, 300 million in the U.S. to 80 million in Germany, you can see that a huge market is out there waiting to unfold."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) supports the advancement of conventional and emerging biogas conversion technologies, including anaerobic digestion. At the EBW Expo & Conference, two EPA programs are presented on the show floor and the conference agenda: The AgSTAR Program is a voluntary effort jointly sponsored by the U.S. EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Energy. It encourages the use of methane recovery (biogas) technologies at the confined animal feeding operations that manage manure as liquids or slurries. The U.S. EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) is a voluntary assistance and partnership program that promotes the use of landfill gas as a renewable, green energy source. The technologies supported by both programs reduce methane emissions and produce energy while achieving other environmental benefits.

The "energy from biomass and waste" (EBW) Expo & Conference will premiere on September 25-27, 2007 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA. EBW's mission is to educate all relevant stakeholders about the ecological and economical benefits of clean energy, and to create an international marketplace for bioenergy and energy-from-waste technologies in Pennsylvania. EBW 2007 is sponsored by: Allied Waste Industries, Inc.; Ben Franklin Technology Partners; Biomass Magazine; Green Power, Inc.; Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc.; Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia (Germany); Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; The Pennsylvania State University; Robert James Sales, Inc.; TowPath Renewables; U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S. Department of Energy; and West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund, Inc.

In 2008, the EBW Expo & Conference returns to Pittsburgh on October 14-16.

To view the complete program, exhibitor list and to register visit: http://www.ebw-expo.com

For more information contact:

EBW Expo & Conference Organizer:
Freesen & Partner GmbH, Dr. Ines Freesen
Schwalbennest 7a, 46519 Alpen, Germany
tel. +49-2802-948484-0, fax +49-2802-948484-3
info@ebw-expo.com
www.ebw-expo.com

North American Office:
McNabb Marketing Resources
P.O.B. 418, 34 Spruce Street, Rockport, ME 04856, U.S.A.
East Coast Contact: Tomlin Coggeshall, tc@ebw-expo.com
West Coast Contact: Dave Jackson, dj@ebw-expo.com
tel. 207-236-6196, fax 207-236-0369


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